Stem constructions



Oct. 18, 1966 B. SANDBLAST 3,279,477

STEM CONSTRUCTIONS Filed March 20, 1964 INVENTOR. LAW/FENCE 5 34%,054 457,

United States Patent 3,279,477 STEM CONSTRUCTIONS Lawrence Bernhard Sandblast, 2233 NE. 15th Ave., Portland, Oreg. Filed Mar. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 353,350 2 Claims. '(Cl. 131-429) This invention pertains to stem constructions for smoking appliances generally, and more specifically, to stem constructions for use with tobacco burning devices such as pipes, cigars, and the like, the stem constructions including smoke passages, and serving to exclude the entrance of moisture into said passages and having new and novel smoke diffusion means in association with the moisture exclusion means.

An important objective of the present invention is to provide a stem construction as aforesaid which includes a stem having a smoke passageway formed therein, and which has a combined means for effectively blocking the entrance of moisture in the form of saliva from entering the passageway, and this means also functioning to diffuse smoke as it leaves the passageway.

A frequent complaint encountered in the smoking of tobacco products from pipes, cigar holders, and the like, centers about the tendency of the smoke, upon entering the mouth in a substantially straight flow from the restricted smoke passageways of conventional pipes, etc., is that this straight discharge, often directly against the users tongue, causes a biting or stinging sensation. The construction herein supplied effectively eliminates this objectionable characteristic of conventional apparatus by providing a diifusion wall means which disperses the smoke over wide lateral areas, avoiding direct contact with the tongue.

Another object of this invention is to supply a stem opening construction which blocks the entrance of saliva from the smokers mouth into the smoke passageway by positioning the entrance to the passageway at a location least likely to encounter the saliva.

A still further advantage of the invention is to provide stem constructions as aforesaid which are noncomplex in construction and assembly, inexpensive to manufacture and sell, and durable in use.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a smoking pipe having a stem constructed and assembled in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail cross sectional view, taken substantially on the section line 22 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view disclosing a modification of the stem construction as applied to a cigar holder; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, partial, detail section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Proceeding to a more detailed description of the invention, the stem construction hereof is generally designated in FIGURES 1-3 by reference numeral 10. The stem construction 10, in FIGURE 1, is shown as applied to a smoking pipe 12 having a bowl 14 comprising its combustion portion and a rearwardly extending portion 16 having a smoke passage (not shown) extending therethrough, to convey the smoke from the bowl 14, and having an open end 18 supplied with a conventional connecting sleeve 20.

The stem construction 10 hereof comprises an elongated main body portion 22 which includes a forward end section 24 and rearward stem section 26, and has opposite upper and lower sides 28 and 30, respectively. The forward end section 24 terminates in an end 32 connected with the sleeve 20 and the end 32 is open for communication with the smoke passage. Rearward stem section 26 terminates in a closed, generally elliptical end wall 34 which has rounded corners as at 36 for the com fort of the smoker.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the main body portion has a longitudinally extending main smoke passageway 38 formed therein extending from the end 32 to a location spaced inwardly from the wall 34, the passageway being of generally uniform diameter.

The stem section 26 has, in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1-3, a pair of opposite, curvilinear slots 40 formed therein and extending from the upper side 28 to the lower side 30 thereof. The slots 40 provide arcuate slot side walls 42 and provide diifusion passageway means for the smoke.

The stem section 26 of FIGURES 1-3 further has a substantially straight cross channel 44 formed therein which opens on the wall 42 and thus provides open communication between the main smoke passageway 38 and the diffusion passageway means. In FIGURES 2 and 3, it will be seen that the channel 44 is formed at an extreme rearward location on the stem at substantially the maximum depth of the slots 40. Thus, saliva or other moisture from the mouth is least likely to gain access to the passageway 38.

As smoke is drawn from the combustion portion of the pipe, through the passageway 38 and channel 44, it is emitted against the walls 42 of the slot 40, thus causing it to be scattered or diffused over the widest possible area and effectively blocking direct contact of the smoke with the users tongue.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show a modified form of stem construction 10a applied to a cigar holding means 12a having a cigar 14a therein comprising the combustion means and including the rearwardly extended passage and holder means 16a terminating in end 18a.

The modified form of stem construction 10a includes a main body portion 22a with forward and rearward sections 24a, 26a, upper and lower sides 28a, 30a, and having a longitudinal main passageway 38a formed therein. The section 26a terminates in a closed end wall 34a with rounded corners 36a, and has a single curvilinear slot 40a therein adjacent such wall. The slot 40a has diffusion walls 42a, and a cross channel 44a formed in the section 26a opens on slot wall 42a and on the channel 38a. Operation is substantially as described above with respect to the first form of the invention.

Having described and illustrated two forms of this invention in some detail, it will be understood that these descriptions and illustrations are offered merely by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited in scope only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stem construction for a smoking appliance, the stem construction comprising:

3,279,477 3 I 4 an elongated body portion including a closed end wall References Cited by the Examiner adjacent a mouthpiece portion thereof; UNITED STATES PATENTS the stem body portion having a longitudinally extend 380,520 4/1888 Rose 13l229 mg Smke l therem 757,760 4/1904 Manahan 131-229 X the stem having a pair of arcuate slots extending 5 2 587 069 2/1952 Sharron through the body portion laterally from the smoke duct adjacent the end wall; and FOREIGN PATENTS said arcuate slots having different centers of curvature. 203,964 9/1923 Great Britain.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein: the centers of curvature are located externally of the 10 SAMUEL KOREN Pnmary Exammerstern. JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner; 

1. A STEM CONSTRUCTION FOR A SMOKING APPLIANCE, THE STEM CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION INCLUDING A CLOSED END WALL ADJACENT A MOUTHPIECE PORTION THEREOF; THE STEM BODY PORTION HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SMOKE DUCT FORMED THEREIN; THE STEM HAVING A PAIR OF ARCUATE SLOTS EXTENDING THROUGH THE BODY PORTION LATERALLY FROM THE SMOKE DUCT ADJACENT THE END WALL; AND SAID ARCUATE SLOTS HAVING DIFFERENT CENTERS OF CURVATURE. 